Event Report: Vintage to Voltage Philadelphia

words: Louli Kourkounakis, photos: Audi Club staff

Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: This article originally ran in the Q3_2022 issue of quattro Magazine. If you would like to subscribe to quattro Magazine, please join Audi Club here.

Whether it’s introducing to market the quattro all-wheel drive in the ‘80s or e-tron EVs today, Audi has a long history of leading with the latest automotive tech. To celebrate that tradition, Audi Cub piloted a new weekend long event formula in late May. Dubbed “Vintage to Voltage” (a.k.a. V2V), the event set out to highlight the significance of all things vintage Audi with some fun of the exciting new e-trons to welcome the voltage to the party.

This packed weekend of car events began Thursday for the local New Jersey Chapter with their monthly ice cream social. A few members regularly gather to chat about all things Audi while enjoying a sweet treat.

The official start of the weekend though, was on Friday morning at Audi Wilmington in Delaware. There, drivers met for coffee and Philly-local Federal Donuts while checking in for the morning cruise and checking out the Audi Club’s 2022 Sweepstakes grand prize, a 1985 Audi “ur” quattro. This was the first stop on the all-day cruise through covered bridges throughout Chester County, PA. The spirited, guided drive allowed for some stops for photos, lunch at the farm-to-table Roots Café in downtown West Chester, PA before ending the day in scenic Valley Forge Military Park that is a destination in its own right and conveniently two miles from the King of Prussia Electrify America charging station.

Friday evening concluded on the Delaware River waterfront at the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Attendees and hosts from Audi Club met up for food and beverages at Morgan’s Pier, a Philly hotspot. The gathering offered great views and conversation that recapped the day’s events, allowing attendees to get to know each other better and some new friends to be made. Great times and laughs were had by all.

Saturday was reserved for RADwood (more on p.61), an ‘80s/’90s period-specific car show, where attendees were encouraged to wear their favorite period correct attire while checking out cars from this era. The day ended downtown with dinner at Brü, a cool beer hall just a few blocks from Rittenhouse Square, where everyone got to recap the day and share stories about previous experiences and plans for future get togethers. From there, guests were able to hit the local nightlife, including a not-so-competitive but fiercely fought round of bowling at Lucky Strike Philadelphia just a few doors down from Brü.

Sunday was a bit more laid back with an Audi cars and coffee at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. This time, the group and other Audi enthusiasts gathered outside to enjoy the more modern cars, check out the booths from the sponsor vendors including Philly local AWE Tuning, Audi collection, and Audi Wilmington, and of course have some of Philly’s finest bagels from Spread paired with coffee from Wawa. As the sun began to heat things up, attendees would wander inside to check out some of the classics and learn a little about the history of the cars, the races, the museum, and check out a special display inside featuring a select mix of incredible vintage Audi models brought in by members. The Simeone Museum boasts of the world’s greatest collection of racing sports cars.  If you’ve never been, it’s definitely worth the trip to ogle the marvels of their time.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this inaugural Vintage to Voltage event, including Audi collection, Audi Wilmington, AWE Tuning, Griot’s Garage, FCP Euro, XPEL, Hagerty, and APR.